Camp Pu
by Smileyfax
Summary: Daria's stay at Camp Grizzly is disrupted by external forces. NOTE: Chapters 1 and 2 have been re-edited, and should be given a re-read.
1. Chapter 1

"Ooh, wow!"

Daria was woken up by the exclamation from her bunkmate/barnacle, Amelia. "Wow what?" she grumbled. She examined the face of her light-up watch. "It's 2:30 in the morning, Amelia, go to sleep," she grumbled.

"Daria, you have to see this!" Amelia whispered excitedly. "It's, like, the coolest lightning storm ever!"

"Damnit, Amelia, I..." She trailed off as the thunder from the alleged lightning reached the cabin, causing the windows to rattle in their frames and even shaking Daria up a little. "That was some lightning," she admitted, just a little awed.

"I know, right?" The two girls stayed up a while longer, but observed no more lightning.

"I guess the show's over tonight," Daria muttered. Amelia's response was a gentle snore. Daria rolled her eyes and joined her in slumber.

XXXX

Daria winced at the sound of the morning bugle. It was her dearest hope that one day Skip would choke on it. She checked her watch, scowling when she saw it was a full hour before they were supposed to get up. She waited in bed a few moments more, hoping the whole situation was a nightmare and that she would wake up for real at her home in Highland soon. No such luck: Chip appeared at the entrance to the cabin and began speaking.

"Rise and shine, campers!" he commanded. "Mr. Potts has scheduled an emergency hike!"

"What's an emergency hike?" one of the other campers asked, still rubbing sleep out of her eye.

"Well, it's...uh..." Chip hesitated, not knowing what it exactly was himself.

"It's not an emergency hike, children, it's just a drill." Mr. Potts, the head counselor, had appeared behind Chip to reassure his charges. "We like to, ah, keep you on your toes here at Camp Grizzly, heh heh."

Daria eyed Mr. Potts closely. He didn't sound as cheery as he was trying, and his eyes showed fear, instead of the easy-goingness of his smile. Even his chuckle sounded more nervous than mirthful.

"Something's wrong," she muttered to herself.

"What's wrong, Daria?"

Daria inwardly groaned as Amelia made her presence known.

"Nothing," Daria claimed, not in the mood to discuss anything with Amelia (ever).

"Hey Daria, wasn't that lightning show last night awesome?"

Daria shrugged. Something about the whole situation seemed...off to her. "How far away was the lightning?" she finally asked.

"Uh...I don't know," Amelia admitted, after scrunching her face up in thought. "How can you tell?"

"All you have to do is count the number of seconds between seeing the lightning and hearing the thunder, divide by five, and that's how many miles away it is," Daria explained.

"Really? That's so cool, Daria! You're the coolest friend!" Daria sighed at Amelia's enthusiasm.

Grudgingly, Daria got up, dressed, and went with her fellow campers to assemble in front of the flag pole at the center of camp. Once all the campers had assembled, Mr. Potts began to speak. "Boys and girls, I know you're all a little cranky at today's unexpected change in schedule, but I promise you all that today will be fun! First, we're going to take our hiking kits into the mess hall, and load up on all the canned food we can carry. Next, we'll hike up the mountain trail. Won't that be exciting? Once we're at the top of the mountain, we'll head into Grizzly Cave! ...Heh heh, don't let the name fool you, kids. A bear hasn't lived there for decades."

As Daria was handed an extra-large backpack and ushered into the mess hall with the others, she kept pondering what had spurred Mr. Potts to wake them all up at sunrise and put them on what she was sure to be an eight-mile hike uphill with enough food to last them a few weeks. Her stomach began churning at the prospects.

XXXX

Daria held a death-grip on her book as the campers all hiked up the mountain path. She had grabbed it just before departing on the hike from under her mattress on a whim; Skip had tried to take it from her, but baring her teeth was enough to ward him off. (He knew full well she was prepared to bite from past experience). She shrugged under the heavy weight of the backpack and wished not for the first time that she could swing it at Chip's stupid head and knock him out. Judging by how her feet felt, though, she could probably just take off one shoe and wave it in his face to do that.

Amelia marched next to her, rambling on about something or other in between panting. A lot of the other campers (and, though she was loath to admit it, even herself) were panting. They had been marching uphill for the past hour nonstop, and they were exhausted.

Finally, one of the boys with two backpacks (Quinn and her posse having naturally persuaded some boys to bear their burden) collapsed, and Mr. Potts reluctantly allowed a ten minute break. With relief, Daria let the backpack fall from her shoulders and sat, using it to lean against (not minding that the cans inside made it somewhat lumpy).

Amelia sat next to her, backpack between her legs, searching through it until she pulled out a can of fruit and a can opener. She opened the can and handed it to Daria. Daria eyed the gift warily, but hunger won out in the end. She took the can and sipped the juice out first before grabbing out chunks of the fruit with her hand. Amelia fished another can out of her backpack for herself and cracked it open. They sat together in silence for a few minutes, eating the fruit out of the cans. Daria was actually enjoying the moment...until Amelia started talking again.

"Look, Daria, some smoke!" she said, finger aimed at the horizon. Daria squinted.

"I don't see any smoke," she complained.

"It's waaaaay far away," Amelia explained. "I guess my eyes are better than yours."

Daria scowled, then squinted as much as she could without actually closing her eyes. She even rose one hand up to block the sun's glare. "I...think I see it," she finally said, unsure.

One of the counselors (not Chip, thankfully) was sitting nearby. Amelia stood and walked over to her. "Mrs. Green, can you see smoke over there?" she asked, gesturing where she had shown Daria.

Mrs. Green narrowed her eyes as she looked to where Amelia had gestured. "No, I don't see any smoke," she said, suddenly sounding scared. "Let's get moving, now," she added, ushering Amelia and Daria up.

Later, back on the trail, Amelia asked Daria "What's going on?"

Daria thought for a moment. "I don't know, Amelia. Why is Mr. Potts so intent on getting us up this mountain and into Grizzly Cave? Did you see how he hesitated when he called for a break? And just ten minutes? I think he's scared to death of something."

"Scared of what, though, Daria?"

Daria looked again towards the horizon, where the smoke Amelia said she had seen was still out of Daria's perception. "I don't know," she said.

XXXXXXXXXX

I've finally decided to revisit an older fic of mine, Camp Pu, starting off with rewriting the material I currently have for it. Since I only ever made two chapters, this will be a short process. Afterwards (barring my losing interest in the project for years at a time again), I'll start in with new stuff. Enjoy! 


	2. Chapter 2

After a few more breaks grudgingly agreed to by Mr. Potts, they finally reached the mouth of the cave around an hour before noon. By then, Daria was able to see the far-off plume of smoke; whatever conflagration had caused it must have grown over the hours. Being able to see the smoke only increased the sensation of dread that had been quietly building up inside her.

The counselors relieved the campers of their burdens, who promptly celebrated by laying down. Mr. Potts gave strict orders that nobody was to leave the cave, and Daria was troubled that nobody really seemed to object to this. The cave itself was rather small; once the food was put up against the wall, there was barely enough room for all the people inside. A few of the counselors stayed inside the cave in a futile attempt to entertain their charges (the most annoying effort coming from Chip, who attempted to draw everyone into a rendition of 99 Bottles of Beer on the Wall), but most of them went outside with no explanation. Quinn's friend Tracy snickered that the counselors had all gone off to 'do it', but most of the other campers didn't know what that meant. ("Do you know what 'do it' means, Daria?" Amelia had asked, wide-eyed. Daria rolled her eyes in response).

After a few minutes, Tracy cried out, "Quinn, you broke my Walkman!"

Irritated (and a little relieved) at being distracted from the dark thoughts running through her head, Daria moved closer to the 'cuteness quartet' so she could hear them better.

"No I didn't! I swear!" Quinn protested. "It just wouldn't turn on! Maybe the batteries are dead!"

"Well gee, Kuh-winn, I don't see how that's possible, since I just put in fresh batteries yesterday. Unless you think I am a liar?" Tracy glared at Quinn, daring her to talk back.

Quinn looked desperate, until she spotted Daria. "Uh, hey, look, it's that weirdo orphan my mom brought to camp out of pity! Hey, you're good with electrics stuff, right? Here, fix it!" Before Daria could get a word in edgewise, she had shoved the Walkman into her hands and retreated with Tracy and the rest.

Daria looked down at the device. She toggled the On/Off switch a few times. Nothing. She frowned at it. That failed to do anything, either.

Suddenly, an idea struck her. She walked over to Quinn. "Ugh, what do you want now?" her sister said in disgust.

"When did you use this last?" Daria held up the Walkman.

"Uh...well, I borrowed it from Tracy and listened to it all last night, until it...uh...died suddenly." Tracy 'hmph'-ed, as if she knew Quinn was responsible all along.

"When did it die? Did it die during the lightning storm?"

"Lightning storm?" Quinn's face scrunched up in thought. "Oh yeah, I guess I did see flashes out the window. Hey, you're right, that was about the time it died."

Daria looked around the cave, swallowed, and spoke up. "Was anybody else up late last night, maybe listening to a radio or playing a Game Boy or something?" The other campers looked at her like she had grown a third head. Daria frowned.

Quinn decided to have mercy on her sister and stood next to her. "Did anybody have a radio or a Walkman or a Game Boy or even a CD player break last night during a lightning storm?"

Immediately several boys stood up, holding their non-functional electronics out to Quinn, talking all at the same time. Quinn gave a self-satisfied smile to Daria, who just scowled more.

After examining them all and verifying they had all died during the 'lightning storm' of the night before, Daria's face was grave. "Did anybody actually see any lightning bolts from this storm? Amelia?"

Amelia lit up at being addressed by Daria. "No, actually. The flashes just came from far off."

Daria shook her head, not liking the news. "Anybody else? Did anybody see a single lightning bolt?" Silence was her answer.

Quinn rolled her eyes. "Why does it matter, Daria? What does a little lightning storm have to do with Tracy's busted Walkman and all that other stuff that's broken?"

"I don't think it was just a lightning storm, Quinn," she said, shaking her head. Her voice was less animated than usual, which was quite a feat. She turned towards the back of the cave, where the food-filled backpacks had been set. "We need to leave, now."

"Leave? What do you mean, Daria? Why?" Amelia fired off in quick succession. Daria didn't answer; she simply slid on one backpack and shoved another into Amelia's hands, who eagerly took it and slid it on.

She grabbed a third backpack and held it out to Quinn. "Quinn, we're leaving now. Let's go."

Quinn looked at her increduously. "Daria, are you nuts? I'm not going anywhere with you!"

"Gee, Quinn, why is your cousin (or whatever) in such a hurry to leave?" Tracy snarked. "Are you two going to a geek meeting or something?"

"Why of COURSE not, Tracy!" Quinn exclaimed. "Our family's distant...er...orphan was just telling a joke. Now run along, uh, Daria," she said, shooing her sister away.

"I don't have time for games, Quinn," Daria grabbed Quinn's arm and pulled her up.

"Hey! Let me go! Daria, that hurts!" Daria ignored Quinn's protests as she dragged her over to Amelia. "Ready?" she asked.

"Yeah." Amelia looked at Quinn, a faux-nauseated look on her face. "Do we have to bring her?"

Daria nodded. "Mom would kill me if anything happened to Quinn. Grab her other arm." Amelia complied, and they made their way to the mouth of the cave.

Skip and Mr. Potts were in their way. "Hey there, campers, where do you think you're going?" Skip asked, his cheery grin looking less cheery and more demonic in the cave's dim light.

"We're leaving," Daria explained.

"She's kidnapping me!" Quinn shouted. Skip ignored her.

"Now now, Daria, you know you're supposed to play along like a good camper. Isn't this hike fun?" He smiled, trying to convince Daria that, yes, this hike was indeed fun.

Daria turned to Mr. Potts. "You couldn't reach anyone on the phones this morning, right?"

Mr. Potts looked startled at the accusation. "Er...yes. How could you possibly know...?"

"Do you know what's going on?" she asked him. "Do you know what that lightning storm really was last night?"

Mr. Potts hesitated, then nodded, a defeated look on his face. "I think so."

"Mr. Potts, what is she talking about?" Skip asked, ignorant.

"Nevermind, Skip," Mr. Potts brushed him off.

"We're leaving," Daria reiterated. She tried to move past Skip, but he blocked her.

"Daria, if you continue, I'll have to write you up, and I don't want to do that." Skip's face was serious.

"Get the fuck out of my way," Daria uttered, drawing gasps from all the campers.

"She said the F word!" they began whispering amongst themselves.

"Daria! I'm writing you up for sure! There is no swearing at Camp Grizzly!"

Daria regarded him for a moment, then sucker-punched him in the groin.

"Oh fuck!" Skip whined, as he clutched himself and fell over. Mr. Potts just shook his head and allowed Daria and Amelia to pass, dragging Quinn in their wake (who was still howling about kidnapping).

When they were out of sight of the cave, Amelia spoke up. "Daria! That was so...so fucking cool!" Amelia giggled and covered her mouth, amused at her own boldness.

Quinn finally found words of her own. "Daria, what the heck was that?" she demanded. "You just totally humiliated me in front of my friends! How could you? Quinn began her dramatic crying, as Daria had dubbed it: the fake crying Quinn did to generate the maximum amount of drama.

"Quinn, if I let you go, will you put on this backpack and march peacefully?" Daria held up the third backpack, still in her free hand.

Quinn sighed theatrically. "I guess my social life here is ruined, so it doesn't really matter, does it?" She rubbed her arms where Daria and Amelia had yanked her before putting on the backpack.

XXXXXXXXXX

Upon re-reading the original, I was dissatisfied with how I blatantly said what was happening all in the second chapter. (I think I did it as a response to one of my simpleton friends, who thought that the 'big danger' was just a stupid little forest fire). There are still hints - hints enough to figure out what's going on, I think - but it's no longer MYSTERY IS BLATANTLY SPELLED OUT IN 50-FOOT-HIGH FLAMING LETTERS.

(The original two chapters are still up on my account, if you want to see how bad it is, and also be totally spoiled). 


	3. Chapter 3

Going downhill was somewhat easier than going uphill, but Daria, Amelia, and Quinn were exhausted nonetheless by the time they made it back to camp. After all, they had done more marching before noon than they would have on an average week. Once at the camp proper, they staggered to the mess hall, following Daria's lead. They just sat for almost half an hour, resting their weary muscles, Quinn or Amelia occasionally trying to probe Daria for more information, but Daria remained silent. Finally, Daria stood and moved to the kitchen, where she began to fix the three of them lunch.

Amelia followed her friend into the kitchen, while Quinn waited amongst the tables, letting out the occasional dramatic sigh. She saw Daria empty a can of Chef Boyardee into a pot, before setting it upon the gas stove. "Daria! Be careful! You could start a fire!"

Daria rolled her eyes. "Amelia, it'll be fine. As long as I don't leave the pot alone for too long, or soak a load of newspapers in kerosene and heap them right next to the burner, we won't have anything to worry about."

"Oh, okay." She watched as Daria rinsed out the can, then dried it. Daria took a quick glance at the walls all around them (concrete blocks), shook her head, and left the kitchen. With one last worried look at the pot on the stove, Amelia followed her compadre. Together, they walked through the eerily silent campgrounds, towards Mr. Potts' office. "This is weird, Daria," Amelia said out loud. "What's going on? Please, I'm starting to get scared." Daria remained silent, though, which troubled her deeply.

Once in Mr. Potts' office, Daria examined the walls. "This should do," she said to herself, before picking up a rock from the desk that Mr. Potts had been using as a paperweight and using it to strike hard at the wall.

"Daria! What are you DOING?" Amelia shrieked, rushing forward and trying to hold her friend back. She hadn't tried dodging Daria's swings, though, and was clipped on the side of her face with one of Daria's backswings. She fell on her ass, grasping her face. She actually managed to hold back her crying...until she withdrew her hand and saw blood.

Daria paid no mind to Amelia until she had chipped away enough of the drywall to put into the can's bottom. Once she had done that, she seemed to notice Amelia on the ground for the first time. A look of guilt appeared on her face, which she suppressed quickly enough. Rummaging about in Mr. Potts' desk, she found a first aid kit, and knelt in front of Amelia.

"Why did you hit me?" Amelia asked between sniffles as Daria dabbed her injury with an alcohol swab.

"I'm sorry, Amelia. I didn't even notice until..." Daria trailed off, ashamed at how focused she had been on the drywall.

"I'm just...I'm just so scared, Daria, and you won't tell me anything, and I fell on my butt. Why did you smash up Mr. Potts' wall, Daria? You'll get in big trouble."

Daria sighed. "Look, Amelia. I don't want to say anything until I know for sure what's going on. I have a lot of hints what's going on...and they scare the hell out of me...but I don't want to scare you or Quinn if it turns out I'm wrong. Okay?"

Amelia nodded.

"Now, I needed the drywall because it has a mineral called gypsum. It's a dessicant. Do you know what a dessicant is?" Amelia shook her head. "It means that it absorbs water from nearby, kind of like a sponge. It's one of the parts I need to make a Kearny fallout meter."

"Fall out of what?"

Daria shook her head. "Not 'fall out', 'fallout'. It's...I'll tell you later." Daria replaced the first aid kit after applying a band-aid to Amelia's face. She noticed a spool of thread in the drawer, and pocketed it. On the way out of the office, she glanced at an older-looking ham radio which sat atop a file cabinet and made a mental note to come back and check on it after lunch and the Kearny fallout meter had been assembled.

Back in the mess hall, Daria stirred the contents of the pan a bit before deciding it was hot enough to serve. Her bowl sat untouched in front of her as she assembled the fallout meter from directions she had memorized, Quinn and Amelia looking on while digging in to their own meal. Daria had taken some tin foil from the kitchen, and used the thread to suspend it within the can. To Amelia (who sat right next to Daria), the foil may as well have been tea leaves, because she had no idea what they meant, but for whatever reason they seemed to make Daria very upset. The expression on her face turned sour, even more so than usual considering how Daria usually looked.

"Daria? Are you alright?" Amelia extended a hand to Daria's shoulder. Normally, she didn't like being touched, and this time was no different, as she flinched away from the contact, jerking her head towards Amelia almost as if she had forgotten she was there.

Daria shook her head. "No, Amelia. I'm not alright. You know what I could use right now? A cave. A real cave, not like that overhang the other Grizzlies are staying at. Or maybe a basement. A sub-basement. A storm cellar. Any of those would be fine. But we don't have any of those here."

"Daria, what are you talking about? What is that thing?"

Daria stared down at the uneaten food in front of her. Then, she looked up at Amelia and Quinn, who had expectant, frightened looks on their faces.

She began to talk.

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It's highly advised you go back and re-read the first two chapters, as I've given them significant rewrites. 


End file.
